Other Sellers on Amazon
+ $4.88 shipping
96% positive over last 12 months
+ $3.97 shipping
98% positive over last 12 months
FREE Shipping
92% positive over last 12 months
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft Paperback – August 18, 2009
| Joe Hill (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
| Price | New from | Used from |
|
Kindle & Comixology
"Please retry" | — | — |
|
Hardcover, Illustrated
"Please retry" | $15.35 | $3.03 |
|
Spiral-bound
"Please retry" | $35.95 | — |
- Kindle & Comixology
$0.00 Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 1 million more titles $0.99 to buy - Hardcover
$21.4955 Used from $3.03 24 New from $15.35 1 Collectible from $74.95 - Paperback
$15.7993 Used from $2.67 34 New from $8.50 1 Collectible from $59.99 - Spiral-bound
$35.951 New from $35.95
Enhance your purchase
Following their father's gruesome murder in a violent home invasion, the Locke children return to his childhood home of Keyhouse in secluded Lovecraft, Massachusetts. Their mother, Nina, is too trapped in her grief—and a wine bottle—to notice that all in Keyhouse is not what it seems: too many locked doors, too many unanswered questions. Older kids Tyler and Kinsey aren't much better. But not youngest son Bode, who quickly finds a new friend living in an empty well and a new toy, a key, that offers hours of spirited entertainment. But again, all at Keyhouse is not what it seems, and not all doors are meant to be opened. Soon, horrors old and new, real and imagined, will come ravening after the Lockes and the secrets their family holds.
Locke & Key, Vol. 1 features an introduction by Robert Crais, author of the bestselling Elvis Cole series of crime novels.
- Print length168 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherIDW Publishing
- Publication dateAugust 18, 2009
- Reading age16 years and up
- Dimensions6.69 x 0.4 x 10.19 inches
- ISBN-101600103847
- ISBN-13978-1600103841
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
From the Publisher
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft | Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games | Locke & Key, Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows | Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom | Locke & Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks | Locke & Key, Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega | |
| About the Book | Unlock the story of the Locke siblings after their father's murder as they return to their ancestral home of Keyhouse, a place filled with dark doors and magic keys that open them, and a malicious presence that will stop at nothing for the Omega Key. | The Locke children have just begun to rebuild their lives when little Bode discovers a key with incredible power. | The dead plot against the living and the darkness closes in on Keyhouse as Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode find themselves fighting a desperate battle against the night. | Danger stalks every move of the Locke siblings as Lucas “Dodge” Caravaggio continues his relentless quest for the key to the black door. | Dodge’s search for the Omega Key to open the Black Door is almost complete. But Tyler and Kinsey have a dangerous key of their own—one that can unlock all the secrets of Keyhouse by opening a gateway to the past. | After two lifetimes and countless victimes, Lucas “Dodge” Caravaggio finally has the key to open The Black Door. Those who have stood against him for so long take their places one last time. |
Editorial Reviews
Review
"It's great! ...The art here by Gabriel Rodriguez is some of the finest stuff in comics today... The team of Hill and Rodriguez is top notch!" — Blair Butler, Fresh Ink
"Solid pacing and plot twists, combined with Rodriguez's clean lines and detailed pencils make Locke & Key a lock for best horror book of the week." — Wizard Magazine
"In a year of auspicious comics debuts, Joe Hill turned in one of the few comics that truly came from a different place. Written with skill that makes me jealous, courage that makes me smile, and honesty and brutality that makes me want to see what comes next. Okay, I'm officially a fan." — Ed Brubaker
"A modern suspense thriller meets something more wondrous and magical." — IGN
About the Author
Born in Santiago, Chile, Gabriel Rodríguez began working as an illustrator in the late 90s and in 2002 started drawing books for IDW Publishing, including CSI, George Romero’s Land of the Dead, and Beowulf, amongst others. In 2007, he co-created the award-winning series Locke & Key with Joe Hill. He continued developing other creator-owned projects: the Eisner-winning Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland, with Eric Shanower; Sword of Ages; and the gritty sci-fi adventure Onyx, with Chris Ryall. In 2019, he partnered with Hill once again for two new Locke & Key stories, “Dog Days” and “Nailed It.”
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product details
- Publisher : IDW Publishing; Reprint edition (August 18, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 168 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1600103847
- ISBN-13 : 978-1600103841
- Reading age : 16 years and up
- Item Weight : 14.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.69 x 0.4 x 10.19 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #53,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #119 in Mystery Graphic Novels
- #133 in Literary Graphic Novels (Books)
- #197 in Horror Graphic Novels (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Joe Hill is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box, The Fireman, and Full Throttle. He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long-running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with artist Gabriel Rodriguez. Much of his work has been adapted for movies and television. His second novel, Horns, was translated to film in 2014 and starred Daniel Radcliffe. His third novel, NOS4A2, is now a hit series on AMC, starring Zachary Quinto. The first season of Locke & Key was released on Netflix in early 2020 and became an overnight smash. His story, "In The Tall Grass," co-written with Stephen King, was made into a feature for Netflix, and became a mind-bending cult horror sensation. Most recently, Hill has returned to graphic novels -- his latest comics include Basketful of Heads and Plunge for D.C., and Dying is Easy for IDW.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United States on December 26, 2021
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
For this review, I want to focus on how it works on kindle.
I have previously struggled with comic book format on Kindle. I consume kindle content primarily on paperwhite and on my phone. Previously when trying to use kindle, the lag was ridiculous. On phone it was unwieldy and navigation was hellish. I don't know what magic they used, but they have found a great way to implement panel navigation, so that it is finally easy to enjoy both the story and artwork in a very intuitive manner. Definitely feeling much better about having impulsively bought all 7 volumes and looking forward to more in this series.
Despite some rather tired horror elements, Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft manages to venture off the beaten path in some respects. This six-issue collection is a page-turning macabre story with clever scene transitions and memorable and refreshingly human characters made all the more vivid through Rodriguez’s simple albeit compelling artwork. Joe Hill blends horror with fantasy and mystery to launch a riveting tale of a shattered family that cannot seem to outrun terror.
While not exactly scary, Welcome to Lovecraft features decidedly graphic content, particularly in terms of gruesome violence. Because this is the first volume, the mysteries surrounding Keyhouse are introduced gradually and very little is resolved by the end of the book, thus sowing the narrative seeds for future installments. With a strong start as this, Locke & Key promises to be an addictive ride!
Right now.
Why are you still reading this. Go. Buy it. Immediately.
The only thing you can do that is better than buying this book, is buying the five volumes that follow this one.
We are introduced to an amazing family during the darkest time in their lives (thus far).
Tyler, the eldest of the Lockes, is an amazing kid, going through some dark s***. he blames himself for what happens to his family, and buries himself in work. I like Tyler, he does what a kid would do during a tragic time such as this.
Kinsey is a young girl who is going through a bit of an identity crisis. She is slowly trying to discover who she is.
Bode, the youngest of the Lockes, somehow manages to keep his whimsy during all of this. He has an active imagination, and maintains a strong sense of wonder though out all of these stories.
Keyhouse is now my favorite setting for a story. This manor is massive, beautiful, and filled to the brim with mysticism.
If you are looking for a book the pulls no punches, is beautifully illustrate, and has an amazing cast of character, all while being kind of scary, then you have found your next read.
GET IT NOW!
Top reviews from other countries
But in this case, i though it important to leave a message to anyone thinking to buy this graphic novel via Amazon that this specific comic series falls apart literally after the very first read!
I had bought this first time around, and after reading the first few pages, the binding was falling apart after flipping each page just once...ive bought a few other comic series through Amazon, never had this issue before, so i requested a return and for them to send a replacement copy...but the replacement copy also has the same issue, all pages falling out of the binding after a single read. Ive attached photos to show what a nightmare this is and just warn anyone buying that this might happen to your version...dont know whether this is an issue with storage at the Amazon Depot since i managed to find a copy at my local bookstore, zero issues with binding!!! Anyway, best of luck, hope this helps
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2022
But in this case, i though it important to leave a message to anyone thinking to buy this graphic novel via Amazon that this specific comic series falls apart literally after the very first read!
I had bought this first time around, and after reading the first few pages, the binding was falling apart after flipping each page just once...ive bought a few other comic series through Amazon, never had this issue before, so i requested a return and for them to send a replacement copy...but the replacement copy also has the same issue, all pages falling out of the binding after a single read. Ive attached photos to show what a nightmare this is and just warn anyone buying that this might happen to your version...dont know whether this is an issue with storage at the Amazon Depot since i managed to find a copy at my local bookstore, zero issues with binding!!! Anyway, best of luck, hope this helps
I am a huge fan of horror and blood and gore, and as soon as I started reading this I knew that it would be the book for me. There's a murder in the first couple of pages, and Welcome to Lovecraft only gets darker from there.
At the beginning of the book, Papa Locke is murdered and his family go to live at the Keyhouse, a mansion owned by the family. And from then on, a load of crazy [...] happens. Bode, the youngest child, discovers a key to a door that, if you walk through it, turns you into a ghost. He also discovers a ghostly Echo in the wellhouse in the grounds, who seems to be locked in there. Bode's curiosity mirrored my own as he discovered a small handful of the Keyhouse's mysteries.
While all this exploring is going on, the Locke family is also still dealing with Papa Locke's murder. Mama Locke is currently spiralling into a deep depression, and the children are at a loss of what to do with themselves, without any parental influence in their lives. They lost two parents that day instead of just one.
As if that wasn't enough, Sam, one of Papa Locke's killers, escapes from prison with some paranormal help. And he comes for the Locke family. I really liked how Joe Hill didn't forget about Sam. Often, I find that the villains get little backstory, and so people aren't interested in them and just want the heroes of the stories to save the day. I, however, am really interested in evil characters and their stories and psychology. I love discovering what's going on in their heads! And Joe Hill developed Sam's character really well. We got flashbacks with him in, we saw how he was tied to the Locke family, and we saw what led him down this road. Sam is a very broken character, and one that I can't help but sympathise with, despite the fact that he is insane.
I have another favourite character in this book, but I don't want to go into detail on that due to potential spoilers. I'm always wary of those! Just know that someone turns up towards the end of the book who I am totally captivated by, and I can't wait to find out more about them. Whether they're a hero or a villain, you'll have to read the book to find out. I think Tatum will know the answer to that without reading, though.
This book is really creepy, and not even just because of the paranormal stuff that was going on. I was thoroughly creeped out by some of the things that the characters did, and it really drove the message home that humans can be the most evil things out there. Forget about the ghosts and the demons!
The art was fabulous. The characters aren't painted as conventionally beautiful people. They look like your regular person, someone that could easily live next door to you. I loved the detail that Rodríguez goes into with the landscapes and backgrounds. I particularly enjoyed looking at the drawings that took up the entire page. The attention to detail is fantastic, and Rodríguez is seriously talented. In addition, at the back of the book there is a series of more artistic work from him, that connect to the story but look less realistic than the actual art within the story itself.
I have made the decision to buy this series gradually, since each individual book ranges from £9 to £15. That's a lot to spend, but I think it's worth it as long as I don't go too crazy. Like I said, Locke & Key turned out to be right up my alley, and I cannot wait to discover more about the Keyhouse, the Locke family, certain other characters, the Omega key, various other keys... I never thought I would be so interested in keys!
Damn, do I wish I'd picked this up sooner!
Both the story and the artwork are incredible. I don't think I've been this excited about a graphic novel since I first discovered Gaiman's Sandman, and that's saying something. Of course, a lot of the praise goes to Rodriquez for the fantastic artwork - there are plenty of panels with no text that tell the story in a hundred subtle ways.
I don't really want to go too much into the story itself - I think it's best to discover it for yourself. We'll just say that the main characters move to "Key house" after a somewhat traumatic event. The house is well named, and with the discovery of each new key comes a little bit more of the story.
I've already picked up volumes 2-5 and gone through them incredibly quickly. Looking forward to the final volume in Feb now!
Oh, and in case you're wondering about how they display on the kindle app. I've been reading them on a 10.1 Samsung Galaxy Note and they look great. The only comment would be that the double page spreads sometimes require you to flip back and forth between a couple of pages, but there aren't too many of them so it's not really an issue.
I've been a fan of the lovecraft mythos, and I was looking for new comics.
I came across this by accident and I'm so, so glad I did.
I believe all six volumes are now sold in a collection.
I since purchased all six within a few weeks of getting this one.
A brilliant story that doesn't go on too long, and leaves you satisfied at the end of book six.
The art is brilliant and clean












